Gadget

Friday, October 23, 2015

Liam
Hemsworth, whose versatility landed him major and notable roles in
various film genres such as the highly successful “The Hunger
Games” franchise, “The Last Song,” “The Expendables 2,”
“Paranoia” and “Empire State” brings his acting range in his
latest movie “The Dressmaker” opposite Kate Winslet along with
two-time Emmy Award winner Judy Davis and multi-awarded actor Hugo
Weaving (best known for his role in “Matrix” as Agent Smith).

“The
Dressmaker” brings Hemsworth to his birth country Australia, where
his character Teddy, lives in a small town called Dungatar. The
town, it’s a wicked amalgam, a small town that could be anywhere in
the world, that despite its fantastical vision and eccentric
occupants, is built around deep truths about human behavior. Every
character in Dungatar is involved in either covering up or
contributing to the tragic events of the past that affected Tilly
(Winslet) and Molly (Davis). Some of them are not awful,
but they’ve all committed some rather heinous acts that they’re
trying to forget about. When Tilly comes back they’re forced to
remember. The citizens of Dungatar see Tilly as a threat to their
status quo, to the semi-peaceful existence they have established.
They banished her when she was a little girl, blamed her for a
murder, and the very fact that she’s come back means they’ll have
to face all the bad things they did to her in the past. Except
for Teddy McSwiney (Hemsworth), who treats Tilly in an endearing way
and falls in love with her.

The
love story that develops between Teddy and Tilly is tender and
unexpected – in many ways the two are like chalk and cheese. Tilly
has lived in Europe, she’s worldly, elegant, savvy, she has an
emotional past. Teddy is a stolid footballer, uncouth, younger than
her, who may not have ever ventured out of Dungatar, but they share a
level of smarts, and he instantly falls in love with her.

Producer
Sue Maslin says: “Casting the role of Teddy was probably the
toughest decision - finding an actor that could bring both the charm
and the masculinity to the role. We wanted an Australian actor, but
somebody who was going to have credibility with audiences
internationally as well. Liam Hemsworth certainly embodied the
physicality of the role and the sensitivity. You could not find a
better Teddy, he’s just utterly charming, utterly gorgeous,
laconic, a larrikin- all of the things that Teddy embodies, so it was
an absolute delight working with him.”

While
director Jocelyn Moorhouse shares, " I Ioved the scenes where
Kate and Judy were physically fighting each other, but I also have to
admit the scene where Liam gets measured by Kate for his new suit,
always makes me smile."

Liam
Hemsworth, who plays Teddy, says he connected to the character on
reading the script “because he reminded me of a lot of people I
grew up with, of my grandpa in particular – a hard working
Australian guy, someone who just gets on with it, very positive and
quirky, a fun loving kind of spirit. Teddy is a little different to
most of the people in Dungatar because he has a little more ambition
and wants to get out and see what the rest of the world looks like. I
felt like I knew this guy really well and I felt like I knew exactly
how it should be played.”

Kate
Winslet says: “Teddy is a sincere man, he has no airs and no
graces, he looks like a right scruff pot most of the time but in many
ways, he’s exactly what Tilly needs. He’s what she’s never
experienced - someone who really appreciates her and sees her for who
she is. He’s truthful and pure. It’s a very sweet endearing
relationship.”

“The
Dressmaker” opens November 4 in theatres from Axinite
Digicinema.